WHP 3-3-19
Around 9:18 a.m. on February 24th, 2019, Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers were dispatched to a motor vehicle collision that took place around milepost 46 on Interstate 80 east of Lyman, Wyoming.
A tow company had been called for a 2013 Ford E-450 U-Haul stuck in the median. While the tow truck worker was in the process of pulling the U-Haul out of the median, a crash occurred.
A 2015 Freightliner was headed east in the passing lane around milepost 46 on Interstate 80. The driver of the tractor-trailer lost control of the vehicle on the snow and ice covered roadways and collided with the U-Haul and tow truck. The tractor-trailer which was hauling apples caught fire after the collision.
The drivers of the U-Haul and tow truck were outside their vehicles at the time of the collision. The U-Haul driver was struck by the tractor-trailer and sustained injuries. He was transported to the Evanston Regional Hospital. The tow truck driver did not sustain injuries in the crash.
The roadways were slick with blowing snow and ice at the scene of the crash. Speeding too fast for winter road conditions and failing to move over for emergency workers is being investigated as contributing factors.
The WHP would like to remind motorists to please slow down and exercise caution when driving around emergency vehicles. Wyoming state law requires drivers to slow down or move over for emergency vehicles on the shoulder of roadways. This step helps ensure emergency workers around the state make it home safely to their families.
In Wyoming, road conditions can change from dry roads to areas of complete snow and ice with little to no warning. When driving in areas that are unfamiliar, please slow down.
